Alcohol Poisoning Kills 6 Daily in the US

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Alcohol poisoning kills six people in the United States each day,
according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.

The deaths add up to more than 2,200 each year in the country,
with most occurring among middle-age adults, ages 35 to 64. Most
people who die from alcohol poisoning are white men, but American
Indians and Native Alaskans have the highest rate of alcohol
poisoning, according to the report.

"Alcohol poisoning deaths are a heartbreaking reminder of the
dangers of excessive alcohol use, which is a leading cause of
preventable deaths in the U.S." Ileana Arias, the CDC's principal
deputy director, said in a statement. [ 7
Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health ]

Drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time can
result in very high levels of alcohol in the body. This can lead
to the shutdown of critical areas in the brain that control
breathing, heart rate and body temperature, and a person may die.
Signs of alcohol poisoning include slow breathing, seizures and
low body temperature.

The researchers noted that alcohol poisoning is only one of the
outcomes of drinking excessively, and that binge drinking can
also cause health problems. Binge drinking is defined as
consuming four or more drinks on one occasion for women, or five
or more drinks for men.

Such excessive drinking is linked with liver and heart disease,
and contributes to 80,000 deaths yearly, including deaths due to
injuries, in the United States. More than
38 million U.S. adults, or 1 in 6 people, report binge
drinking on average four times a month, consuming on average
eight alcoholic drinks in one setting each time, according to the
report.

"We need to implement effective programs and policies to prevent
binge drinking and the many
health and social harms that are related to it, including
deaths from alcohol poisoning," Arias said.

For the report, the CDC researchers analyzed deaths from alcohol
poisoning among people ages 15 and older, using data from the
National Vital Statistics System for 2010 to 2012. The findings,
however, may be an underestimation of the true rate of alcohol
poisoning, the researchers said.

Alcohol poisoning death rates
varied widely across states, from 46.5 deaths per 1 million
residents in Alaska to 5.3 per million residents in Alabama.

Previous reports have found alarming rates of extreme binge
drinking among high schoolers and college students, but the new
report "shows that alcohol poisoning deaths are not just a
problem among young people," said report co-author Dr. Robert
Brewer, who leads the CDC's alcohol program.

Most people who died of alcohol poisoning during the study period
were not alcoholics: only 30 percent of those who died had
alcohol dependence.

The researchers identified drugs other than alcohol as a
contributing factor in only 3 percent of the cases of death from
alcohol poisoning.